Yasmin Hurd raises rats on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that will blow your mind. Though they look normal, their lives are anything but, and not just because of the pricey real estate they call home on the 10th floor of a research building near Mount Sinai Hospital. For skeptics of the movement to legalize marijuana, the rodents are canaries in the drug-policy coal mine. For defenders of legalization, they are curiosities. But no one doubts that something is happening in the creatures' trippy little brains. [continues 3003 words]
Neighbors Worried About Security A proposed medical marijuana greenhouse is causing some worry among residents of the Loma Parda subdivision near Mountainair and Abo. Property owners in the subdivision were notified about the plans by the operator, Trevor Reed. "He offered to meet with (the neighbors) and was very forthcoming with information," Loma Parda Subdivision resident Susan Oviatt said. Oviatt was at the Torrance County Commission on May 13 to express her concerns with the proposed operation. "We have no moral issues with growing a controlled substance, but we are concerned that the development seems to be proceeding as if no neighbors exist and the local zoning rules are not important. [continues 335 words]
Last week, Gov. Inslee signed a bill that will essentially destroy Washington's medical-marijuana system. You might not care, but you should. When the team behind Initiative 502 wrote their marijuana law, they left the already well-established medical dispensaries and collective gardens out of the equation, assuming they'd be dealt with at a later date. Well, they were dealt with, all right-last week the Governor signed a bill to eliminate both entirely. Lawmakers in Olympia had been looking to overhaul the parallel medical- and recreational-marijuana systems, and agreed on a bill (from hell) that will close each and every medical-marijuana dispensary. I'm not going to get all policy-wonky on this and lose my audience in the third sentence. (Still with me?) So lemme just break this down with one simple point: [continues 786 words]
Now that medical marijuana is legal in Minnesota and disbursement is set to begin July 1, employers should review their policies regarding such workplace procedures as drug testing and the Americans With Disabilities Act to ensure they protect the business, as well as the employee. Minnesota's law authorizes the use of medical marijuana for patients suffering from several medical conditions including glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, certain cancers, seizure disorders, Crohn's disease and illnesses causing severe and persistent muscle spasms. Individuals eligible for the medication are required to enroll in a statewide registry. [continues 687 words]
Several years ago Tony May and I wrote a side-by-side column in support of medical marijuana. At the time I mused that agreeing with Daylin Leach, one of the most liberal legislators, should cause me to re-think my position. That was before state Sen. Mike Folmer, one of the legislature's most conservative members, added his strong support to Leach's proposals. A lot has happened since then. Support for the legalization has grown across the commonwealth and within the General Assembly. [continues 676 words]
Medical marijuana will soon be legal in Georgia, and that's a good thing. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Friday signed the hard-fought bill that was two years in the making. Now state agencies will prepare to implement it. The Peach State becomes one of 24 states plus Washington, D.C., to legalize marijuana for certain medical uses. The Georgia House voted 160-1 to approve a Senate compromise. The bill originally made people with nine medical conditions eligible for treatment with cannabis oil that has a minimal level of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical that makes pot users feel high. The compromise deleted one illness - fibromyalgia. The remaining eight conditions are seizure disorders, sickle cell anemia, cancer, Crohn's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis, mitochondrial disease and Parkinson's disease. [continues 173 words]
With the passage of Proposition 215, California became the first state in the nation to legalize medical marijuana. Nearly two decades later, it has fallen behind. As other states have moved to regulate the cannabis industry, California's industry remains the Wild West. The absence of a clear set of state regulations leaves a wildly inconsistent set of local ordinances that can literally vary from block to block. To the growing frustration of consumers and neighbors alike, this semi-legitimacy has also left workers vulnerable to a host of potential hazards. [continues 463 words]
Dr. Stuart Gitlow, a physician serving as president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, does not mince words: "There is no such thing at this point as medical marijuana," he said. It's a point he has made routinely for the past decade, as advocates for marijuana legalization have claimed the drug treats an array of serious illnesses, or the symptoms of illnesses, including cancer, depression, epilepsy, glaucoma and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Backing up Gitlow are the National Institute on Drug Abuse and practically every major medical association in the United States, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recently reaffirmed its stance. Cannabis in its various forms is an addictive drug that is especially dangerous to the developing brain - a linchpin the country's largest medical groups give for opposing its legalization. [continues 798 words]
A bipartisan trio of U.S. senators, New Jersey's Cory Booker, New York's Kirsten Gillibrand and Kentucky's Rand Paul, are sponsoring a bill to classify marijuana as a Schedule II drug, meaning the federal government would allow it to be used as medicine. Some critics worry that such a bill could become a "gateway law" to full legalization of recreational weed; defenders say sick patients need the pain relief best provided by marijuana. Should the bill get approval? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk, the RedBlueAmerica columnists, debate the issue. [continues 743 words]
A bipartisan trio of U.S. senators - New Jersey's Cory Booker, New York's Kirsten Gillibrand and Kentucky's Rand Paul - are sponsoring a bill to classify marijuana as a Schedule II drug, meaning the federal government would allow it be used as medicine. Some critics worry that such a bill could become a "gateway law" to full legalization of recreational weed; defenders say sick patients need the pain relief best provided by marijuana. Should the bill get approval? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk, the RedBlueAmerica columnists, debate the issue. [continues 531 words]
Medicating on the Go With Vape Pens There are many ways to ingest medical marijuana and each has its pros and cons. Some folks swear by their edibles while others prefer the tried and true approach to medical marijuana: just plain smoking it. But thanks to advances in science and tech, vaporizing marijuana is the new norm. In fact, next to dabs, vaping (inhaling and exhaling the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device, which became Oxford Dictionary's word of the year in 2014) has become one of the most popular new ways for patients to medicate. [continues 554 words]
BOCA RATON, Fla. - The interior of Irvin Rosenfeld's Toyota 4Runner reeks of marijuana. A tin stuffed with hundreds of joints lies in the trunk, and a bag full of them is stored in the door pocket. On a recent weekday, the 62-year-old stockbroker stopped at a red light and took a drag. His exhale filled the cabin with smoke. It was his fourth joint that day. It wasn't yet lunchtime. "This car has 80,000 miles on it," Rosenfeld announced between puffs, stray ash landing softly on the battered towel he drapes over his pleated brown trousers and red tie. "I haven't gotten into one accident." [continues 445 words]
Boca Raton, Fla. - The interior of Irvin Rosenfeld's Toyota 4Runner reeks of marijuana. A tin stuffed with hundreds of joints lies in the trunk, and a bag full of them is stored in the door pocket. On a recent weekday, the 62-year-old stockbroker stopped at a red light and took a drag. His exhale filled the cabin with smoke. It was his fourth joint that day. It wasn't yet lunchtime. "This car has 80,000 miles on it," Rosenfeld announced between puffs, stray ash landing softly on the battered towel he drapes over his pleated brown trousers and red tie. "I haven't gotten into one accident." [continues 1336 words]
R.I. Growers Can Attest to Perils of New Market PORTSMOUTH, R.I. - A tiny spider mite is all it could take to cripple Seth Bock's business. Bock grows marijuana, legally, for a living, and the peril presented by just one small insect illustrates how difficult it can be to establish a thriving dispensary. His is one of three medical marijuana dispensaries in Rhode Island, and his experience provides vital lessons for companies in Massachusetts that have won licenses to grow and sell marijuana. The first is expected to open in April. [continues 1124 words]
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Even in this city full of absent-minded drivers, it's a wonder Irvin Rosenfeld doesn't stand out as a menace. The interior of his Toyota 4-Runner reeks of marijuana. A canister stuffed with hundreds of joints lies in the trunk, and a bag full of them is in the door pocket. On a recent weekday, the 62year-old stopped at a red light and took a drag so deep his exhale filled the cabin with smoke. It was his fourth joint that day. It wasn't yet lunchtime. [continues 596 words]
Shortage Could Ease in D.C., As More Firms Have Registered to Be Growers Even as the nation's capital enters an uncertain new age of legal marijuana, the 2,500 District residents permitted to buy medical cannabis are facing a blunt truth of their own: There isn't enough pot to go around. For months, many of the marijuana-using patients registered with the D.C. Department of Health have been frustrated by a chronic shortage in the system's very limited supply chain. Since last summer, when the D.C. Council relaxed the rules for obtaining a doctor's prescription for cannabis, the number of medical users has soared past the ability of the city's three official growers to meet it. [continues 822 words]
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) signed legislation Thursday allowing the use of medical marijuana oil for people suffering from severe epilepsy. As marijuana becomes legal in the District, advocates in neighboring Virginia said they thought even this first small step toward medical use would never be taken. "They said hell would freeze over before this would ever pass," said Robert Smith, whose 14-year-old daughter, Haley, has daily seizures - and suffered one during a committee hearing on the bill this year. "Seeing how horrific it is, it softened a lot of hearts," he said. [continues 523 words]
Bryan Raiser says public reaction has been positive A storefront medical marijuana dispensary opened this week in Squamish. Bryan Raiser, a former District of Squamish councillor, on Monday opened the 99 North Medical Cannabis Dispensary at 37769 Second Avenue in downtown Squamish, at the corner of Vancouver Street. The shop offers medical marijuana in various forms, including dried cannabis, oils, edible and topical marijuana, Raiser told The Squamish Chief in an interview. He opened the dispensary quietly on Monday, but even then, a few people stopped in to see what it offered. By Monday night Raiser began promoting the shop to his Facebook friends. [continues 547 words]
Shabreta Peterson got a medical marijuana card in December to legally treat her severe social anxiety, extreme nausea and excruciating back pain. All it takes is a puff or two, or some edibles in the morning, for her to get through the full-time work day comfortably. In the mornings, she has to decide, "Should I smoke before work and not hurt all day? Or be in pain until I get home?" [continues 808 words]
Bill Blocks Prosecution for Possession of Oils Richmond - Parents of epileptic children gathered in the gallery of Virginia's law-and-order House of Delegates on Tuesday, almost afraid to look as their long-shot medical marijuana bill came up for a vote. "I couldn't even look at the board," said Teresa Elder of Springfield, who considers two marijuana extracts a "last hope" for controlling seizures in her 22-year-old son, Tommy. When she finally stole a glance at the lighted-up voting board, Elder was shocked to see only green. [continues 1136 words]
